Chargers conduct interviews with another candidate for GM and another for head coach
The Chargers announced Thursday they completed two more interviews — with Brandon Brown for the general manager position and with Patrick Graham for the head coaching job.
The last two seasons, Brown has been an assistant general manager for the New York Giants. He spent five years with Philadelphia before that, working in personnel and scouting.
Brown, 35, whose time in NFL front offices includes stops in Indianapolis and with the New York Jets, played collegiately at Fordham. He also has a degree from Barry University Law School in Orlando, Fla.
Graham, who turns 45 this month, has been the defensive coordinator for Las Vegas the last two seasons. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator for the Giants for two seasons and the Miami Dolphins for one.
The interview was conducted virtually since Graham remains under contract with the Raiders and, as such, cannot meet in person with other teams about head coaching jobs until after Jan. 21, according to the NFL’s new hiring guidelines.
What the Chargers new coach and general manager will inherit. Their costly, unsuccessful roster needs to be revamped and some big names might have to go.
Graham’s interview also does not count toward satisfying requirements of the Rooney Rule because those meetings must take place face to face.
In January 2022, Graham interviewed with Minnesota for the head coaching job that went to Kevin O’Connell.
The Chargers are searching for a replacement for Brandon Staley, who was fired Dec. 15 after nearly three seasons.
Graham is the first outside candidate to interview for the position after interim head coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore interviewed earlier this week.
A longtime assistant, Graham also has been with Green Bay and New England, where he worked for seven years and won a Super Bowl following the 2014 season.
A former defensive lineman, Graham played collegiately at Yale. He began his coaching career in college, working at Notre Dame, Richmond and Wagner.
Shortly after firing Tom Telesco as general manager and Staley as head coach, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said the team would run searches for both jobs concurrently.
On Wednesday, the Chargers interviewed JoJo Wooden, who ended the season as their interim general manager. Formerly the director of player personnel, Wooden has been with the Chargers since 2013.
Potential candidates to take over as Chargers head coach could include Jim Harbaugh, Miami OC Mike Smith, Detroit OC Ben Johnson and Dallas DC Dan Quinn.
They also have requested interviews with eight coaches who are with other teams, including Dan Quinn (Dallas defensive coordinator), Steve Wilks (San Francisco defensive coordinator) and Ben Johnson (Detroit offensive coordinator).
In-person interviews with coaches employed by other NFL teams are prohibited until after the divisional round of the playoffs.
This week, the Chargers also blocked the Giants’ request to interview special teams coach Ryan Ficken, who remains under contract.
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